Great beginning and great ending. Parts in the middle were enjoyable -- but often times I found myself wanting to skip pages (but didn't!).
The names throughout the story were very hard to pronounce which made my connection with the book not as strong.

Story followed two boys (both who were arrested in leningrad). They were spared their lives in prison but having to complete a near impossible task for the Colonel: getting a dozen eggs to bake a wedding cake for his daughter's wedding in ONE WEEK.
And so the journey begins.

The public’s appetite for adventures set in the distant past is insatiable, and in Florentine Masque, David Caldo offers aficionados of this genre a gargantuan feast.

Set in the 14th Century, in and around Florence, the novel traces the adventures of the young brother and sister, Alessandro and Felicia Gerfalco, who survived the plague in Florence, only to find that their parents have been murdered. Like any good Italian, Alessandro pledges to avenge this massacre, and eight years later he finds his first clue as to the murderer’s identity. The quest to mete out revenge brings him and his sister face to face with some of the most sinister characters trying to profit from Florence’s nascent banking boom - it even leads them to skulduggery in the Vatican itself.

For more details about the book, visit site http://www.florentinemasque.com/

3.5 - 3.75(rating)

Covering a wide array of hot-button, often polarizing subjects such as Zionism, Nazism, radical terrorists factions, and where each fits into this highly controversial picture. Livingstone has delivered an important, albeit highly subjective book that's part history, part ideology/theology and part conspiracy theory. Terrorism and the Illuminati is an in-depth view of secret societies, terrorism and present day conflicts, from the perspective that all are interconnected, related and fueling each other, thus propelling the world towards a "clash of civilizations."

Terrorism and the Illuminati traces and connects individual groups such as the holy grail, freemasonry, the knights Templar and many others. Lords, legends, myths and elite bloodlines, when analyzed independently appear insignificant and are easily ignored. However, when the dots are connected, a very different picture beings to come into focus. According to like-minded individuals, keeping these connections broken and the lines blurred, has allowed these secret societies and their members to operate in the shadows of a meticulously cultivated public image.

While many dismiss the idea of secret societies and a one world government as mere conspiracy theories run amok, many others would argue that is part of the plan. One should stop and remember the words of the commissioner regarding the catastrophic events of 9-11..."a failure of policy and a failure of imagination..." Thinking outside the box has always been a trait of forward thinking individuals and societies. Analyzing the ridiculous or outlandish has resulted in numerous discoveries and inventions that in retrospect have shaped communities, academics, governments and the world as a whole and their creator's are given the highest, most prestigious recognitions. Although the ideas presented in this book have been discussed for hundreds and hundreds of years, interest in these age-old theories is obviously still alive and well, as was demonstrated by the response to Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code," as well as, the popularity of the subsequent movie, which was an international blockbuster.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading books about the occult, secret societies, one world conspiracies and it's possible link to terrorism. Also those who simply enjoy a challenging, thought provoking read that stimulates the mind. Terrorism and the Illuminati offers a strong starting point to begin your own research into this interesting, controversial discussion. Livingstone has included (at the end of the book) an exhaustive resource list that provides readers with lots of information, from a variety of sources.

Happy Reading!